Fighter jet project to hire 1,500 new staff

DEFENCE companies working on the UK’s first unmanned fighter jet are set to recruit 1,500 staff this year.

The Tempest stealth aircraft will replace the Royal Air Force’s long- serving Typhoon and can be controlled remotely.

The top- secret programme is still in the concept phases, with few details set in stone.

But the defence companies behind it – BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Leonardo’s UK arm and MBDA – are due to present further proposals to ministers at the end of 2020, prompting them to ramp up research and development efforts.

This will see them increase the total number of people working on the project from 1,000 to 2,500, the Ministry of Defence has said. The fighter is being developed jointly by the UK, Italy and Sweden, with BAE and the RAF leading the work.

Rolls- Royce is set to design the engines, while European missile firm MBDA will contribute weapons and Italy’s Leonardo will develop the sensors and electrical systems. A prototype is planned for 2025, with the jets entering service by 2035.